I have a colleague who is very seriously ill so apologies for being too busy to answer the questions raised in the posts. First of all there has been no change in accounting policy. Amortisation and depreciation effectively mean the same thing- writing down the value of an asset over its useful life. The players' transfer value is amortised over the length of their contracts with Rovers. At any one time, the players have a value as an intangible fixed asset- £14m in the Rovers' books at 30 June 2004. From comments made by John Williams during the Ferguson saga, it is obvious that the club internally take a great deal of attention to these matters and it was very clear the Rovers were not willing to take a write-down on Ferguson on his book value (the original transfer cost less his amortisation). This was the reason why I suggested, tongue-in-cheek, that the Rovers seem to be managing their amortisation charges very carefully at around £11m per year. Given that, in the long term, amortisation costs are the same as the total investment in players, I rather mischieviously suggested that might be a pointer to our gross annual transfer expenditure target. With regards to non-Walker Trust debts, bank lending to Rovers rose from £12.4m to £16.1m during 2003/4 of which £2.4m was overdraft at 30 June 2004. The staff numbers at Ewood were (2003 in brackets) Senior footballers and management 54 (54) Academy 56 (57) Commercial 56 (51) Media services 11 (14) Administration 17 (16) Building and grounds 50 (51) Total staff 244 (243) I don't know whether the deal to transfer the shop staff to Lonsdale came before or after the year end. The bar and catering staff are all employed by outside companies so are not included in these numbers. However, I believe if the numbers of people employed indirectly by Rovers is included, probably around 1,000 people owe their livelihoods to the football club making the Rovers a major economic engine for the Blackburn area. With regards to the two employed directors, the total cost of employing them (so this figure includes National Insurance, pensions etc.) rose 8% from £396K to £429K. For those MB members who chose not to read what is written, my comments will be ignored, but it is worth reiterating it is NOT a double digit increase and John Williams is NOT earning £400K. But when did the facts ever get in the way of a Murdochian prejudice? Finally, the "rich list" of clubs is a listing by income, not by wealth or assets. Several clubs in the "rich list" are in fact in deep financial stress- Dortmund, Lazio, Man City and Rangers amongst them. It is also worth adding that Rangers will disappear from that list next season because of their Champs League failure just as Rovers would join the top twenty if we had a season of Champs League Group Stage football.

Well done Randall for being brave enough to make a result forecast- after 8 pages of discussion, there have been precious few of those. Ever since the NE Lancs rivals drew Leicester H in round 6, this titanic battle again became rather more than a local scrap for bragging rights. Just as April 1, 2001 had the little matter of Rovers' automatic promotion place also at stake, so March 1, 2005 has the little matter of a more than plausable semi-final place at stake. For Prem-focussed Rovers fans, it is worth pointing out that the dingles have a decent away record- just lost five out of 17 before today in the Coca Cola can. They don't conceed many but they don't score either. The dingles also have the exigensies of a 46 game league so they not only travelled for a draw at Derby (the soft touches of Pride Park- Derby have won twice as many games away from home than at home) but go to PNE today whilst Rovers have been soaking up the rain in Dubai. The PNE game is a corker- PNE desperately need to win to keep themselves in the play-off places whilst the dingles can wave any remaining pretensions of a play-off place good-bye if they don't win at Deepdale. PNE's surge into the top six is on the back of a lot of home wins so with a bit of luck, the dingles will be in for a lot of tenderising before Tuesday's encounter. Of course, Rovers should win and being realistic, should win easily. The dingles will fancy themselves on the Ewood surface- they can knock the ball about prettily- which should suit Rovers. To the extent Rovers have anything to worry about, Valois and Oster were the only real threat carried by the dingles at t'Turf so we need Neill and Johansson/Matteo not to have the sort of nightmare games they are capable of. Apart from that, a motivated determined Rovers will have too much for the dingles all over the park and even our goal shy lot should fashion enough chances to put one goal away. So 1-0 to the Rovers in ordinary time. Rovers to continue the Burnley goal drought against us. If it does go to extra time, the Hughes fitness regime/ ten day break really should count for Rovers. If it goes to penalties, Burnley will prevail.

Well, what a turn up! Liverpool finally look something like. Chelsea cheated out of a great result by Anders (pretty boy look at me!) Frisk whilst the Mancs and Arsenal simply abdicated. Isn't it about time the Mancs and Arsenal learnt that charity begins at home? Carroll and Toure blunders should be saved for when the Rovers play them rather than gift goals to AC and Bayern who are perfectly capable of tonking them without any gratuitous help. Liverpool are capable of blowing their lead by the Rhine whilst England's top 3 are probably already all on their way out.

Come on, we like the sort of goals the dingles scored last time they were at Ewood. (disallowed and o.g.)

Paul, that's the best post on this thread.

Well done to den and his helpers for achieving a superb thread. I would run a best Manager/Coach competition. I think running a worst squad would just be gratuitous. Whereas the greatest players from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were well written up, the dolloppers who were responsible for the Rovers exiting the FA Cup to non-league opposition twice in three seasons in the early '20s are thankfully forgotten by all except jim.

That game was the only time I've been in the "new" Riverside (Walkersteel) and there were a few Leicester supporters who ran to the front concourse to celebrate then turned round to taunt the Rovers' supporters. A combination of that and the boorish behaviour at Wembley made Leicester some of my least favourite opposition fans. Perhaps they have improved now?

In less than an hour, probably the most remarkable last 16 set of matches yet seen will be under way. When the draw was made, I fancied the English quartet to do well but having just listened to the World Service make all four English clubs rank outsiders from each of their respective ties, I don't know now.

A paeon of praise for the arrogant one and I have to agree. Mourinho has brought a dimension to the Englisg game which has fully ewclipsed the RFW.

Well I've been doing the weights and still get complaints if I forget the cologne. Can't answer for the other 50,000+ Rovers fans Defensively, midfield and tactically; Rovers are MUCH stronger than this time last season. Up front, we have collective goal scorers' block but we have been making so few chances that if we still had Andy (miss eight, score 1) Cole, he'd still be waiting for his first goal this season.

truefox, I can write this now whilst playing you is still in the realms of theory. That is a very standard Championship side you have listed in your reply. Quite a bit of Prem experience but players of a level which when seen on a Premiership teamsheet, the opposition reaction is "Glad he's playing, that's a weak link we will exploit". Now of course, Leicester will raise their game for the QF and if we don't raise our's we'll be in trouble against your lot every bit as much as we will be in trouble against the dingles if we are half-hearted in the replay. The relevant part of the second division table is: 11 Burnley 31 1 44 12 Stoke 32 -2 44 13 QPR 32 -4 44 14 Crewe 32 -2 42 15 Brighton 34 -14 41 (our third choice keeper is playing here) 16 Leicester 31 3 40

Don't you think the Clarets will be fired up by playing at Ewood full stop? There is some pretty dumb stuff being posted on here. ...and Leicester will be mighty fired up playing at either Ewood or the Bumley bog. However, as the Prem side, we should have sufficient class. If we are motivated and organised as much as they are, we will be too good for Burnley and Leicester. That is certainly true of the defence now that Hughes has it organised, the midfield should be more than OK, but it is a tragedy that our best probable cup run in 45 years is coinciding with the Rovers having one of the weakest forward lines the club has seen in my 40+ years of following them. At this stage, I'd delightedly swap the five front players we've got now for e.g. Simon Garner and Andy Kennedy of seventeen years ago. The lack of fire power is what is going to cost us our chance of silverware this year. How's our penalty shoot out record?

This is the best 6th round draw the Rovers have had in my life time. Now let's not go and muck it up! (looking good for Bolton, ManU and Newcastle to make the semis)

Amen to that. Lancashire in general has suffered terribly since the war through changing economic circumstances and the disinterest of successive London-centric governments. Let's celebrate the fact that the county's football teams are in relative good health. In the early 1960s, Rovers, Burnley, Bolton, Preston and Blackpool were in the old first division and I'd love to see them all back there (the top flight that is !). With Wigan now in an automatic promotion slot and PNE looking good for a play-off place, there could be a lot of Lancashire interest (true Lancashire- not post 1974 nonsense) in the Prem next year. Just heard on BBC News that the FA have asked Burnley and Everton to answer for incidents at their grounds at the week-end.

It's going to be a case of TV detective work to find a channel covering the Rovers game overseas then.

That is a great article! Have the Rovers ever had a player who came from a more "ends of the earth" home town? Rover6 can change his signature to this MGP quotation: "In hindsight, Pedersen believes it was good for him to get a rest. He had been playing almost constantly for two years. The Norwegian season runs from February until the end of October, and he played for Tromso through the 2003 campaign, spent two months with the national side, gone straight back to pre-season, then played throughout the 2004 season before moving to England last August." One up to me because I pointed that out MGP hadn't had a break from competitive football for a very long time

FA Cup sixth round numbers: 1 Bolton Wanderers 2 Tottenham Hotspur or Nottingham Forest 3 Manchester United 4 Leicester City 5 Burnley or Blackburn Rovers 6 Southampton or Brentford 7 Newcastle United 8 Arsenal or Sheffield United Being drawn against number 4 or 6 home or away would be the best opportunity for a semi-final appearance. 8 would be a chance to repay recent QF defeats whoever wins their replay. 7 at Ewood would be a chance to set one or two matters straight. Don't fancy drawing the Wanderers just yet but it would be a chance to get at Spit the Dive. Would prefer someone else to get the opportunity of knocking out the Mancs.

The Guardian's report of the match. Incidentally I agree with the assessment that Mike Dean's handling of the game was excellent apart from the card for MGP for going down in the box. That was ridiculous as MGP used his falling momentum from the stumble to put in a cracking sliding tackle on the dingle right back who had collected the ball- not the usual action of a player feigning/appealing for a penalty! The other interesting judgement was the foul on Dickov on the edge of the area. Referee Dean correctly gave it outside but in the TV replay from the reverse camera angle, the linesman (who was perfectly positioned with a near side unobstructed view of the whole incident) did not react to the first two or three pushes and trips but clearly flagged a penalty when Dickov got floored well inside the box!

Because I was in a bar with a fully digital feed managed to see my first Sunday Pub League action for about ten years. It is abysmally bad! And the goalkeeping?

Just back from watching it (thanks to our fine High Commissioner to Malta who organised a bar to show it but who is also a Burnley lad ) Did Friedel have a save all game? Todd, Nelsen, Savage, Pedersen were immense but nobody had a bad game. We had three chances (pedersen's early header over, Dickov's ono-on-one scoop wide and Pedersen's header against Roche's head and arm) which on another day could have gone in. The noise was fantastic all game. Shame about the empty seats at the Burnley end but now we have got to fill Ewood before we rubbish them- doubt the dingles are capable of selling out the Darwen End but lets see. Word of hope- no more 5th Round draws so we can watch the replay please. Word of warning- this set of Dingles is a much better footballing side than Stan Ternent's Italian Jobload of minis. They will enjoy playing on a good surface at Ewood.

Never felt more like singing the blues, The Rovers win, the Burnley lose, Oh Rovers, You've got me singing the blues. Chin chimminee.... Hark the Herald Angels sing, The Rovers win on Boxing Day And we will sing for evermore Because of Boxing Day. What do you think of Burnley? .......... Come on go through the whole repertoire at the Turf!

That's a great line in the Mail on Sunday. Enjoy it everybody!

The Independent's offering. the Guardian profiled Frank Sinclair this morning and understandably had little to say about Burnleh.

Apples and oranges Revidge- you are not comparing like with like. The reality is that their percentage increase is well sub 10%. When there are CEs in football earning seven figure salaries (Manu and Chelski to name two), I think we get superb value from Messrs Williams and Finn. They have handled several very trickly situations superbly and I think your comment is churlish and stupid.

Little Bumley's biggest match. "virtual sell out" means the dingles are desperately trying to shift some tickets. Agent Kilby a lifelong dingle means he is selectively re-writing history.